If anyone would have told officials at the Ohio Department of Transportation in the late 1990s that the second decade of the century would be half over before a new bridge between Ironton and Russell was completed, they likely would not have believed it. After all, at that time, most of the right of way for the new bridge linking Second Street in Ironton with U.S. 23 in Russell had been purchased, the design of the span was nearing completion and the state of Ohio had budgeted $85 million for the project. All systems were go and all that was needed was to advertise for bids on the project, award a contract and begin construction.
The problem is the bids for the bridge were some $25 million higher than what ODOT had estimated, and the project was put on the proverbial backburner while the bridge was redesigned in hopes of lowering the cost.
Last week, ODOT officials gave area residents their first peak at the redesigned bridge. The original design called for a single tower and four lanes of traffic. The redesigned span will have two lower towers and only two 12-foot lanes of traffic plus shoulders broad enough for pedestrians to use. However, there will be no sidewalks.
The bridge will be similar to one ODOT recently built across the Ohio River between Pomeroy, Ohio, and Mason, W.Va.
If all goes as planned, a contract for the bridge should be let in 2011 with the new bridge opening in 2014. But, of course, little has gone exactly as planned with this project. We hope there is a new bridge linking Ironton and Russell five years from now, but we’re not willing to bet the ranch on it. If anything, we have learned to be patient with this project.
Planning for the bridge began well over a decade ago with ODOT conducting a series of public meetings on both sides of the Ohio River to get input on where the new bridge should go. That proved to be valuable because Ironton residents clearly wanted the bridge to be downtown near the current span, while Russell residents preferred the new bridge bypass the city’s downtown and link directly to U.S. 23.
While waiting for the new bridge to be built, ODOT has spent several million dollars on the existing bridge to make it as safe as possible until it is replaced by the new span. ODOT also has banned most commercial vehicles from the narrow 1923 bridge. A family of peregrine falcons that has taken up residence on the bridge also has made pedestrian traffic on the bridge unsafe during parts of the year.
One can understand why other highway projects would have a higher priority in Ohio than a bridge connecting two small towns that likely would carry mostly local traffic. However, the current bridge has outlived its usefulness. Safety demands that it be replaced.
